"It's not an 'allegedly shady past.' It's a wonderful, colorful history." So says Mayor Oscar Goodman in the R-J about the city's Mafia background and the prospects of turning the old Downtown post office into a mobster museum. No doubt the fair mayor sees his involvement defending the Spilotros of the world the same way. Murder is wonderful and colorful! Somewhat horrifyingly, we agree. Can't it be shady and still be an interesting museum? We don't want to Disney-fy the mob; but we like the idea of the museum. Colorful and corrupt! Vegas.
Sexism By Any Other Name Is Still Upheld In Court
The Ninth Circuit last week shot down a bartender's lawsuit against Harrah's that alleged sexual discrimination because she was fired for not wearing makeup. Apparently, a key factor in determining the equitable treatment of men and women in the grooming policy was that men were not allowed to have long hair.
However, the dissenting judges wisely noted in an AP story:
"Is there any doubt that putting on makeup costs money and takes time?"
"Harrah's policy requires women to apply face powder, blush, mascara and lipstick. You don't need an expert witness to figure out that such items don't grow on trees," Judge Alex Kozinksi wrote.
In a separate dissent, Judge Harry Pregerson said the policy "was motivated by sex stereotyping."
"Harrah's fired her because she did not comply with a grooming policy that imposed a facial uniform (full makeup) on only female bartenders ... The inescapable message is that women's undoctored faces compare unfavorably to men's."
Channel 13's Day Off: Well, Fake It Up Baby Now (Fake It Up Baby), News in Doubt (News in Doubt), Come On, Come On, Come On, You're Shady Now (Come On, Shady), Come On and Jerk Us On Out (Jerk Us On Out)
Naughty, Naughty, KTNV. The station that Breaks News and Solves Problems had its own problem when it was caught breaking something less than news. So says the Center for Media and Democracy in an online report published April 6 titled "Fake TV News: Widespread and Undisclosed." Over 10 months, the CMD documented use of 36 video news releases (VNRs)—produced by three broadcast PR companies representing 49 clients, including General Motors, Intel, Pfizer and Capital One—in local TV newsrooms around the country, and identified 98 instances of this free flackery going out over the air unidentified as such at 77 stations, including KTNV.
"In the 6 p.m. news bulletin on January 19, 2006," the report says, "[KTNV] broadcast an edited video news release produced by Medialink Worldwide for Siemens AG on 'advances' in ethanol. The Medialink publicist appeared on screen." Siemens is an electrical engineering and electronics company active in communications, automation, power and transportation.
Would a disclaimer have been so difficult? Something like: "This Questionable News Sponsored By People Who Have Much to Gain By It"?
C'mon, Channel 13: Own up or give it up.